Hell. To. The. No.
One baby kept him busy enough. Not that he didn’t love Stefan. The kid had his heart and soul, just like his momma. But ready to add another child into the mix? He’d rather get a dog. It’d be a while before he was ready for round two. If Suzi had her way, though, they’d already be trying.
Entering the meeting room, he figured he’d be the first one to arrive since their trip to Florence hadn’t taken long. Instead, Kane’s scent wafted to his nose just before he entered the room and spotted him lounging in his chair, feet kicked up on the long oak table. His twin glanced out the double-paned window overlooking the river, seemingly deep in thought.
“What’s got you all pensive?” Kaleb said as he skirted the chair Kane was in and took his seat at the head of the table. “You look like you have something weighing on your mind, bro.”
Kane slid his feet from the table. The soft thud of his boots hitting the scarred wooden flooring carried through the room. He crossed his arms on the table and gave Kaleb his full attention.
Always the serious one.
“We need to increase our numbers, if you haven’t noticed. As we stood around sending Kinky off last night, I looked about the semi-circle at our brothers. We’re dwindling, Hawk. We lost two Sons and a prospect.”
Kaleb nodded. He certainly couldn’t disagree. “Count Rogue and that’s three. I don’t like it any better than you, Viper.”
“Maybe we ought to think about calling Red?”
“You can’t be serious?” Whatever he expected Kane to say, that wasn’t it. “The Knights President hates me.”
Kane chuckled. “Not exactly hates you. More like a lack of respect.”
“Same difference,” Kaleb grumbled. “I’m not about to bring them back as a puppet club if he can’t respect me as club P.”
“I was talking about patching them over.”
He slid his chair back, stood, placed his hands on the table surface and glared at Kane. “No fucking way. I’m not about to turn his club into a bunch of vamps when he can’t respect authority.”
“You never gave him a chance.”
Kaleb rolled his eyes. “Fucker never gave me a chance. He answered to you.”
“Let him answer to me again.”
“You talking about being President of another chapter of the Sons, Viper?”
“Not at all. I like past P just fine. Besides, I think it’s better if Red stays Pres over his boys. They respect him. You bring in someone new to reside over them, and you’ll have what you have now. Except it will be a lack of respect for their own president and not just you.”
Kaleb shook his head and sat back down. “Out of the question, Viper. You want to bring Red and the Knights back into the picture, then do it as a puppet club. Red can answer to you because I don’t like the fuck. I have to admit, though, we could use him having our back since someone might be gunning for us.”
“So what do you suggest we do about increasing our size then?”
“We have prospects. They’ve been doing their time for over a year now. I say we bring them in, patch them over. We have Lightning, Xander’s prospect; Rocker, Wolf’s prospect; and Ryder, Gypsy’s prospect. That makes three new Sons. Evens the numbers back out.”
“We never replaced Ion.” Kane couldn’t help stating the obvious since it was his son’s seat he occupied.
“Stefan will one day fill his place. Give him another twenty years.”
Viper leaned back in his chair, the wood creaking with the shift of weight. “What’s your problem with bringing in another chapter, Hawk? I really think expanding into Washington would be good for us.”
“I’ll think about it. For now, the Knights can be our puppet club, nothing more.”
“You know if I bring back Red into the fold, he’s going to want to run guns through our state again.”
Kaleb toyed with the wooden mallet laying in front of him. He supposed they could use the added income. “He gives us the same forty percent. We’ll give him the same protection.
Kane nodded. “I’ll tell him.”
“This is your deal, Viper. It goes sour, it’s on your shoulders. I’ll add this to today’s agenda. As long as everyone is in agreement, then the Knights can come back under our protection.”
“Red won’t let us down, Hawk. Despite your differences, he’s a good man.”
Kaleb didn’t know Red well enough to disagree, other than the fact he rubbed Kaleb the wrong way. Alexander and Ryder’s scent wafted to him just before they walked into the room, followed closely by Wolf, Gypsy, and the rest of the Sons. The fourteen chairs surrounding the table quickly filled up, save for Anton’s, Thomas’s, and Joseph’s seats. After today, those seats would be filled by the prospects standing at the back of the room.
Constantine “Lightning” Dalca, Alexander’s prospect, was smaller in size, about five-foot-ten, and all lean muscle. Not to mention, the man was pretty damn fast for a human, earning him his nickname early on. The fucker had no fear and had worked side-by-side with Alexander at the motorcycle shop the last year. He knew his way around bike engines. And since Anton had gone rogue, they had needed the extra pair of hands around the shop. He’d make a good asset to the team.
Grigore’s prospect, Peter “Rocker” Vasile, had dabbled at playing the acoustic guitar, earning him his nickname. He wasn’t too bad at it either, though he lacked the confidence to play with the big boys. Instead, he had hung around the Rave, played a few open mic nights, and came to Grigore’s defense when it looked like he was outnumbered one night by some ecstasy junkies. They had become friends following the skirmish. Kaleb liked a man who was quick to jump in and help where needed. He hadn’t known squat about motorcycles, but in the past year he had proven himself great with numbers and working the books. His long, dirty-blond hair and hazel eyes, made him a favorite of the ladies at the Rave.
Ryder Kelley, the latest prospect and sponsored by Grayson, had been a member of their rival MC, the Devils. Kaleb’s heart went out to the man, having watched his girlfriend burned alive by the cartel. He had just as much reason to hate kingpin Raúl Trevino Caballero as his twin, Kane. The man had guts. He’d give him that. Ryder had tried to save his girlfriend by tackling her to the ground while fully engulfed. He had a nasty chest and shoulder scars to prove it. He’d already been turned vampire when his fellow Devils tried taking him out after finding out he was an informant for the Sons. Grayson took it personally and had been given the Sons his blessing to turn him.
Out of the three, Ryder was the most deserving of wearing the Sons of Sangue patch. Even though he had come from their rival MC, he had more than proven himself the past year. Ryder was definitely ready to be patched over. The next order of business for him would be to ink over the Devil tattoo in the center of his back. Because of it, he had been forbidden to go shirtless when leaving the clubhouse.
Murmurs filtered about the now full room as the members talked among themselves. Kaleb picked up the gavel and struck the wooded plate, gaining their attention. Silence fell about the room as all eyes trained on him. He was pretty sure he’d get no arguments where the prospects were concerned. Red was another story. The president of the Knights had always been Kane’s project.
“Let’s call this meeting to order. Before we get started, we could use some Jack.” He looked at Ryder and indicated the door. The prospects couldn’t be present while they discussed their fate within the Sons. Should any of them get a nay vote, they’d be cast out and not invited back. “Ryder, could you see to the whiskey? Make sure you return with enough for all of the members. Take Lightning and Rocker with you. Shut the door on your way out. You’ll be summoned when the Sons’ business is at its end.”
Ryder stepped from his position against the wall. With a quick nod, he headed for the living area, the other two prospects following him without question. The heavy doors closed, sufficiently shutting all sound in. Kaleb returned his attention to his men.
“We lost
another member,” he said, his tone somber. “Our numbers are dropping. It pains me to say this, but we need to fill the empty seats if we’re to remain strong. No disrespect meant to Kinky. I know we are still feeling his loss.”
Kaleb glanced around the table, meeting the eyes of his brothers. Sober faces greeted him. “Wolf, I’ll need you to take notes while Ryder attends to the whiskey.”
A quick nod was his affirmation. Kaleb slid the iPad toward the gray-bearded Son. Ryder had been acting secretary in Anton’s absence. After today, Kaleb planned to make that permanent.
“I would like to put it to a vote that Ryder Kelley should be patched over. I’d also like to add his position as secretary, in Blondy’s absence, be made a permanent one. Do I get a second?”
Grayson raised a hand. “I second the motion.”
“Thank you, Gypsy.” Kaleb glanced back around the circle of men. “All those in favor of Ryder becoming a patched member of the Sons and club secretary?”
“Aye,” traveled about the room, until it fell upon Kane who remained silent.
“You have an issue with Ryder, Viper?”
“Not at all.” He cleared his throat. “I’m more opposed that he would be made secretary. Out of respect for the man Blondy once was, we ought to give him time to change his mind and realize his error.”
“He’s been given a year. How much time to you think he deserves?”
“Hell, Viper,” Gypsy spoke up, “no one knows Blondy the way I did. He was my friend. Even I think he made his bed. Ryder deserves this. Blondy was the one to walk away.”
Kane glanced about the room, meeting every man’s gaze. He sighed heavily. “Aye.”
Kaleb struck the gavel to the plate. “Let it be known Ryder Kelley is now a full-fledged member of the Sons of Sangue and club secretary.”
Walking over to a locked cabinet in the corner of the room, Kaleb produced a ring of keys and unlocked the door. The metal door rattled as he pulled it open. Grabbing a vampire death skull center patch, along with the Sons of Sangue rockers and a secretary patch, Kaleb placed them on the table by Anton Balan’s vacated seat. Ryder Kelley would now fill the one-time beloved vampire’s seat.
The slapping sound of hands hitting the table filled the room, accompanied by several whoops and cheers. Following the motion to also patch over Constantine and Peter, the Sons of Sangue welcomed two more members into the MC. Kaleb laid out patches in front of the late members’ chairs.
“Before we bring the prospects back in and give them the news, I have a couple more items of business to table. First, with the loss of Kinky, we lost our sergeant at arms. I would like to make a motion that Wolf be promoted to the position. Do I get a second?”
Kane gave a quick nod. “I second the motion.”
A quick round of, “Ayes,” and Grigore was promoted to club sergeant at arms. So far, the meeting was going well. Kaleb wasn’t so sure with the mention of Red and the Knights the good hospitality would continue.
The talk among his brothers began again. He had to strike the mallet against the table to regain their focus. “We have one more item up for discussion.”
The conversation died down. Kaleb felt Kane had a better chance at pleading his case than he would, since it certainly was no secret Kaleb wasn’t a fan of Red and the Knights. If push came to shove though, he’d back his twin. If Kane felt bringing the Knights back into the fold was a good decision, Kaleb would give him his blessing.
Patching the rival MC was another story.
He looked at Kane. “The table is yours, bro.”
Kane looked at his brothers in silence for a moment. Kaleb figured it was likely due to being put on the spot. This was his project. He damn well could present it to the MC. Kane slid back his chair, the legs screeching across the wooden flooring. He stood, leaned in, and braced his hands on the table.
“We have filled the seats of our fallen brothers. Let me be the first to say, I think the men filling their chairs will be good additions to the MC.”
A round of applause made him pause. When the noise died down, he righted himself to his full six-foot-four height. His long, black hair framed his high cheek bones. Kane paced a few steps, then gave the table his attention again.
“I’ve made past mistakes, done things that weren’t exactly by the book. I made club decisions without a vote. Please know, I’ve always had the clubs’ best interest at heart. Any decision I made, I felt was a worthy one and good for the growth of the Sons.”
He ran a hand down the few days’ growth of whiskers littering his strong jaw. “The Knights ran guns through our state. We walked away from that lucrative deal when Kaleb took over as president. I would like to propose we start up with the Knights again.”
Grigore shifted in his chair, the motion causing the wood to creak. “What the fuck, Viper? Why not patch them over while you are at it?”
A muscle in Kane’s cheek ticked. He may no longer be club president, but as past P, Grigore should have shown him more respect. Kaleb allowed Grigore’s disrespect to go unnoted this one time.
“If not for Hawk, Wolf, I would’ve asked that very thing. Hawk disagrees with my vision. He’s club P and has ultimate say. He’s given me his blessing, though, to ask that we bring them back as a puppet club. To do so would mean allowing them to run their guns again through our state and port. We go back to the original deal. We get forty percent of the take. They get our protection.”
“Why?” Alexander asked, his brow furrowing. “Can you give us a good reason for bringing them back? Or why we should even trust them?”
“Someone may be gunning for us, Xander. We lost Wheezer and Red Dot to Rosalee. Kinky’s assassination came out of nowhere. And we don’t have a clue who wanted him dead or why.” Kane began pacing again. “We increased our numbers tonight. That puts us back where we were before Wheezer was taken out.”
He stopped and turned, his gaze sweeping over the men sitting around the table. “We aren’t growing, boys. We need growth if we’re to go up against clubs like the Devils.”
Grigore chuckled. “We could take every one of those son of a bitches out if we wanted. The Devils aren’t a match to our vampire strength.”
“No,” Kane agreed. “But someone found our weakness. By accident? Or did someone instruct them? We may be stronger, but we can’t stop a kill shot. We ashed Kinky last night as proof to that.”
Low murmurs started circling the table as the men slowly began to come to Kane’s way of thinking. It was the exact reason Kaleb wanted Kane to bring it up to the MC. Kane had always been the more levelheaded one.
“I say we bring Red and the Knights back as our puppet club. They will answer to us and provide us income. In turn, they will have our backs, keep their ears open for who would profit by killing one of our men.” Kane slapped his palms back on the table. “Christ, we don’t even have a motive. Who the fuck would even want Kinky dead? I propose we vote on bringing back the Knights. Red will answer to me. I have Hawk’s blessing. Should we take a vote?”
Gypsy scratched his beard, then shook his head with a chuckle. “Fuck, Viper … when you’re right, you’re right. I’ll second the motion.”
Kaleb placed a hand on Kane’s shoulder. “Let’s vote. I say aye.”
The vote traveled the room easily earning approval, followed by a single disgruntled “Aye” from Grigore. In the end, the Knights were voted to be brought back in. Kaleb wasn’t exactly thrilled with having to be cordial to the Knights, but he knew Kane had a point. They could certainly use the backing.
“This meeting is adjourned. Let’s bring the prospects in and deliver the good news.”
Kane walked to the door, opened it, and said, “Get your asses in here and you best have the Gentleman Jack with you.”
Moments later, the prospects were welcomed as new Sons of Sangue members. Kaleb knocked back two fingers of Jack, feeling the burn and watching the celebration. He was certainly happy with the new editions, and truth be told, woul
d be glad to have the Knights allegiance. So why the hell did the hair at his nape raise? Something still felt off and he couldn’t put his fucking finger on it. Whoever took Kinky’s life, Kaleb feared wasn’t done by a long shot.
Vlad’s confession that Mircea was missing came to mind. Could the primordial vampire be behind Kinky’s murder? The fuck better pray not, because if Kaleb found out he was the one who carried it out, Kaleb would personally remove his fucking head.
* * *
Vlad lounged in a king-sized bed, his back resting against the fabric headboard in a hotel just off the coast in Florence. He stared at the three naked women lying crosswise atop the white cotton sheets, making the bed feel three sizes too small. He preferred sleeping alone and rarely allowed women to dally for long following their sexual escapades. He hated sharing his space, and this was definitely too much sharing.
While on his island in Belize, any woman living there knew damn well when it was time to exit his room. Spending any time in his bed beyond sex was by invite only, which was on a very limited basis just to keep any one woman from getting too close. Not that he didn’t like women. On the contrary, he enjoyed them, all shapes and sizes. So much so, he’d never again consider going down the same path as his grandsons. He had mated once. A fiery redhead who had been the love of his life and irreplaceable. She had given him three sons, one of which fathered the lineage to Kane and Kaleb.
Two of his sons never made it beyond their teens. While he and his eldest were seeing to his troops one day, his castle had suffered a great fire, destroying an entire wing. His mate and sons had not survived. To this day, Vlad continued to suspect someone had deliberately set the fire that claimed his family, though he had never been able to prove his theory.
His oldest son had mated and continued his genealogy. Unfortunately, the witch had not embraced the lifestyle and chose to drive a pike through his heart as he slept. Vlad took great pleasure in impaling her, then seen to the needs his of grandsons. Life had not been an easy road, with Kane and Kaleb being the last of his surviving family.
Rogue (Sons of Sangue Book 4) Page 9